Senior Pentagon officials today unveiled a detailed breakdown of President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense (DoD) budget request that totals $1.01 trillion and includes major investments in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and space-based capabilities.
The FY 2026 national defense budget calls for $1.01 trillion in total funding — an increase of 13 percent over the FY 2025 enacted levels. Of that total, $848.3 billion is allocated for the DoD’s discretionary budget, and $113.3 billion will be provided through mandatory reconciliation funding, totaling in $961.6 billion, DoD said today.
Here’s how the budget breaks down: the Army is allocated $197.4 billion, the Navy $292.2 billion, the Air Force $209.6 billion, the Space Force $39.9 billion, and $170.9 billion is designated for defense-wide activities.
The FY 2026 budget, however, has yet to begin what could be a complicated path through Congress and it’s already facing pushback from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. A major point of contention is the budget’s heavy reliance on money from a separate reconciliation funding bill that has not yet been approved by Congress, along with concerns that the budget falls short of the president’s promises.
Among those critics is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who has consistently objected to the administration’s plan to use the full amount of reconciliation funding in a single year, as congressional intent was for reconciliation funds to be spread over a 10-year period.
“This is our request for what we would like to see in reconciliation and what we’d like to see in the discretionary base,” said a senior Pentagon official who briefed reporters today. “It will go through the normal congressional budgeting process from here, and we’ll work with Congress on the details on why the department is asking for certain things in our request.”
Despite the political friction, DoD officials remain confident the package will move forward without needing adjustment.
“What we’ve been saying is ‘one budget, two bills’ for the FY 26 budget,” the same official said. “So, in terms of what the plan is, if reconciliation does not pass, at this moment, we’re very excited to see the Senate’s progress on reconciliation. Very happy that the House has been collaborating on the defense portion.”
So, what’s inside the DoD’s trillion-dollar budget request?
Major Investments in Space
The FY 2026 budget makes clear that space is central to the administration’s defense priorities.
Key among these is the Golden Dome – President Trump’s comprehensive missile defense initiative aimed at defending the United States from advanced aerial threats, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. Designed as a multi-layered, space-integrated defense system, Golden Dome is expected to be fully operational by 2028, the end of President Trump’s second term.
An initial investment of $25 billion has been earmarked for Golden Dome, intended as a down payment toward the system’s projected $175 billion total cost. These funds will support increased interceptor procurement, early development of novel intercept capabilities like space-based systems, and enhancements in advanced sensors and command-and-control architectures.
Much of the program’s operational details remain classified pending confirmation of Gen. Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, who has been nominated to lead the initiative.
Aside from Golden Dome, the budget includes a robust increase for the U.S. Space Force. Despite earlier reports that the FY 2026 request would shrink the Space Force’s budget to $26.6 billion, the administration has changed course and is instead seeking nearly $40 billion — more than a 30 percent jump from FY 2025 levels.
“It will fund vital space-based capability, supporting our Golden Dome initiative, space control, and resilient, credible architectures,” said a senior Space Force official today. “These investments are essential to ensuring and achieving space superiority.”
Investments in Autonomy for FY 2026
The FY 2026 budget request also marks the first year in which the DoD has dedicated a separate budget line for autonomy and AI systems – totaling $13.4 billion. These funds cover unmanned and remotely operated aerial vehicles ($9.4 billion), autonomous ground vehicles ($210 million), maritime autonomous systems ($1.7 billion), underwater capabilities ($734 million), and supporting software and cross-domain integration ($1.2 billion).
Notably, $200 million is allocated specifically for AI and automation technology, while $150 million is directed toward replacing legacy business systems. These modernization efforts aim to enable DoD to achieve an unmodified audit opinion by December 31, 2028 – addressing a long-standing audit challenge.
Other Investments for FY 2026
Cybersecurity remains another critical area, with $15.1 billion budgeted to counter growing cyber threats and ensure protection of U.S. military operations across all domains. The request also includes $3.1 billion for counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities and $807 million to accelerate platform development tied to autonomous systems.